Has it really been 15 years since we last saw Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, jumping off mountains and beating up the bad guys across the globe? Why yes it has. Only a few years later, we got a ‘xXx‘ sequel with Ice Cube in the spotlight, rather than Vin Diesel. It was stated in the sequel that Vin Diesel’s character was killed off, leaving Ice Cube to pick up the pieces and become the action star in the early 2000s. Now, it’s 2017 and Vin Diesel makes $1 billion dollar ‘Fast and Furious’ movies, so Hollywood finally gave the greenlight to another ‘xXx‘ film that has Diesel returning as Xander Cage, despite the fact that he’s already dead. These things don’t matter with this third installment, titled ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage‘.

‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage‘ is pretty much what it sounds like, a third film in the xXx line and this will be the second one to feature Vin Diesel. He starred in the original film in 2002 that spawned an exciting franchise. Though his character is stated to have died in the second film which starred Ice Cube, that appears to be an untruth that Cage uses to his advantage this time around.

The sequel to 2002’s ‘XXX‘ is getting ready to begin production and the cast is rounding out with the addition of baddie Andrey Ivchenko (‘The Way of the West‘). He joins Samuel L. Jackson, Vin Diesel and Nina Dobrev who are already cast and/or reprising their roles from the original.

If any of you know me, you would know that I’m a huge fan and advocate of vinyl. I’ve been listening, purchasing, and collecting vinyl for many years and there are no signs of stopping any time soon. Music sounds ten times better on a vinyl album than any CD or MP3 ever could hope to sound. Don’t believe me? Do an experiment yourself and play the same song on the same speakers on vinyl, then on a digital format. You’ll be amazed. Needless to say, I get all giddy when a new record label opens up shop that specifies in releasing new and old music on vinyl. And fortunately for me, a dear friend and writer for this very site has started his own record label after several years of planning. Not only that, the new record label known as Classic Waxxx Records is releasing its first album under its banner. Below is the official press release complete with all the cool info on the limited editions, a sampling of the music, and a link to purchase.

Here we are with another special edition of the Multi-Media Men Podcast: WWE Edition. I’m joined by Tom Nix, Mike Purtill, and special guest Angi Sanders as we discuss all things related to the WWE Universe. In this episode, talk about the unfortunate passing of The Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania XXX, and Monday Night Raw. We also dive into some discussion on where the WWE Universe is going as well as some future matches we would like to see at the next pay-per-view. So please enjoy our show and find out what we thought about The Undertaker losing the streak, John Cena and Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, and Daniel Bryan. YES! YES! YES! YES! And please let us know, what you think by going to our FACEBOOK page, which you should visit to catch up on all the latest information. And don’t forget to visit iTunes and Stitcher and subscribe to our podcast. Enjoy the show.

With the start of a new year at Classic Waxxx HQ there are large stacks of incredible vinyl to sort through that was obtained over the holidays. Rock n’ Roll, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass and the like all wait to be played and shared. It’s such a treat to discover new music by groups loved and practically unknown, and with another year come and gone it means there is just more music out there that needs some attention.

It was a difficult decision to pick the new year’s first record review, but Jimmy Reed’s “At Soul City” LP snuck in from left field for several reasons. First of all, I love blues records. Maybe more than most other records in the CW collection. I also love live recordings, and especially live blues records. But, I do have a little bone to pick with Vee-Jay Records for their release of “At Soul City.” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to believe that another year is just about over, and the spirit of Christmas is already swirling in the air. All the department stores and specialty shops will no doubt be playing a bevy of Christmas music over the speaker system, but I can almost guarantee you they won’t be playing anything as cool as “The Ventures’ Christmas Album.”

The surf guitar quartet that made the original ‘Hawaii Five-O’ theme song popular (“Walk, Don’t Run”) trades in the beach and sand in favor of snow and mistletoe with their ever-awesome renditions of holiday classics. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas is definitely one of my favorite times of the year, despite the crazy holiday shoppers, insane schedules to keep and the stress of travel the season brings with it. However, the thought of Loretta Lynn’s “Country Christmas” seems to make all those anxieties disappear.

I’ve always thought of Loretta Lynn as an awesomely warm and caring aunt, much like Rosalind Russell in the film “Auntie Mame.” She’s been there and done that, has all the great stories to tell from her experiences, and is definitely a hip lady you want to listen to. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year again where traditions reign supreme: Yule tide greetings, holiday parties, fighting with family, caroling, trimming the tree, spiked egg nog and awesomely bad Christmas album covers. It’s nice to know some things never change, like there being no such thing as a good Christmas album cover. So, as you settle in for your long winter’s nap with a cup of hot cocoa, here is another round of groovy Christmas albums covers to give you a giggle. Read the rest of this entry »

It can be argued that The Rolling Stones are in fact the greatest rock and roll band in the world, one that is still touring and recording music nearly 50 years after their debut. In that period of time the band certainly has amassed one hell of an impressive archive of unreleased studio and live recordings, and to every fan’s delight, The Stones recently launched their ‘Stones Archive’ website, which gives fans the incredible opportunity to take a peek inside that treasure trove of material, bit by bit. Read the rest of this entry »

As time goes by the albums that have already obtained classic status continue to become greater classics, nay, timeless. Of course, there is also room for more recent albums of late to obtain such status, but some become classics the day of their release, such as The Black Keys’ debut LP “The Big Come Up.”

I thought I take a moment to recognize a really great record from the last ten years into a new segment for Classic Waxxx. It was also an opportune moment to word play on “Black Friday” as well as celebrate the band’s first release, as they ready their seventh and latest LP “El Camino,” which is sure to be a great addition to the rest of their catalog. Read the rest of this entry »

Seems like most of the really important music to come out of the 20th Century was very topical in nature, songs that reflected what was happening in life and society at that time.

Take one of Bob Dylan’s early songs, “The Times They Are A-Changing”, Woody Guthrie’s “Dust Bowl Ballads” and The Weavers’ rendition of “What Side Are You On,” a song originally written for the United Mine Workers Union in Kentucky in the early 1930s, shifted slightly to bring attention to the growing fears of Communism and McCarthyism in the 1950s. All of these songs were powerful then and still very much are today, as well as being important documents of the American fabric of history, how the music has shaped our people as a country, and how change in our society has been brought through by the platform of music. The exact same can be said of John Lennon and his Plastic Ono Band’s “Power To The People” song, written and released in 1971. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite being a hardcore ‘Beatles’ enthusiast, and perhaps a bit of a purist, too, I’m always morbidly curious to hear a Beatles cover from time to time. Some are good, some are bad, and some are just downright awful. Surprisingly, Wilson Pickett’s version of “Hey Jude” has some teeth to it, a version I certainly don’t mind owning in my record collection. Read the rest of this entry »

Like a good scotch I like a good Jazz record. Smooth, with a sophisticated bite, or with a little bit of age so as to taste and savor a bit of the barrel’s flavor and characteristics. I enjoy these these qualities in my Jazz records, too, and Verve Records has been known to be a fine label when it comes to Jazz music; sophisticated and exciting all within the same rhythm of breath and beat. Read the rest of this entry »

Music has an uncanny effect on memory. It can direct a person to a specific place and time in their mind when a familiar song comes on the radio, when a nanosecond’s worth of a guitar lick is present in a television commercial, or when it’s heard in a movie. Music almost has same power as the sense of smell, triggering thoughts from so long ago.

In September 2001 I was just starting my sophomore year of college, not yet 20. I remember the weather in West Texas was pleasant; not too hot and not yet cool enough for a sweater. My roommate and I had just seen Crosby, Stills and Nash play a gig in Dallas the night of September 8, 2001, and like with most concerts it takes us several days to come off Cloud 9. I remember the fantastic greatest hits-like set from the show, and the big, burly roadie type gent three seats down from us that sat stoic for most of the show, until the opening licks of “Southern Cross” hit everyone’s ears, and this guy jumps out of his seat in excitement, as if his chair was electrified. I was still laughing about that moment the morning I rolled out of bed on September 11th. However, the moment I sat down to catch some tv before heading to class I was no longer laughing. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve no doubt heard this classic at some point in your lifetime, either on your parent’s oldies station or somewhere in a movie. It’s a great catchy tune from the 1960s that is infectious from the instantaneous pulse of the booming bass line to the drive of the sleek and captivating organ. There’s also no doubt that The Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin'” song is one of the greatest jukebox hits to ever be recorded, and one that belongs in everyone’s extensive record collection. Read the rest of this entry »

Record junkies, fans and ravenous collectors, take note: used record stores are your best friends, especially if the vinyl on hand is extremely affordable. Sometimes these places make it difficult to not walk out of there without spending fist-fulls of cash, or spending your entire day sifting through record after record. However, chances are the search is entirely worth it if you find something worth looking for.

Just this week after hitting up one of my local Half Price Books I found this gem of a Richie Havens record, “Electric Havens,” which I have never seen before, nor new existed. Oddly enough, there were three copies and I picked the cleanest one the store had. It’s a curious little record, one that doesn’t seem to have much info about, except for a blurb here and there on the net. Read the rest of this entry »

Being a Jethro Tull fan for a number of years now I can honestly say the album “A” is sort of the ‘odd duck’ in the band’s early catalog. “A”, which was originally intended as band leader Ian Anderson’s first solo record, became the band’s 13th studio album in 1980, and has been met with much controversy and criticism with casual and die hard Jethro Tull fans for years. Read the rest of this entry »

This week marks the 42nd Anniversary of Woodstock, ‘an aquarian exposition’ music & art festival that took place on a small dairy farm near Bethel, NY. Over a half million people bore witness to hear and experience 32 acts over the course of four days (August 15-18, 1969), which completely defined a generation, as well as being one of the most pivotal and peaceful moments during the tumultuous 1960s. It also served as one of the most important moments in music history. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you upset that you won’t be seeing Don Draper & Co. returning to the small screen this fall? Yeah…me, too. At least we can all thank Netflix for streaming the first four seasons of “Mad Men” until Season 5 starts next year.

Even though I’ve seen all four seasons of “Mad Men” about a zillion times (so far), I can also get my Swingin’ 60s fix from the Ramsey Lewis Trio and their incredible “Bach To The Blues” LP. Read the rest of this entry »

Times are really tough for a lot of folks in the world, right now. I mean, where does one even begin to break up the black clouds circling overhead? How much more bad news can we, as a people, take in one sitting? I honestly don’t want to know the answer to that question, but it is times like these that I can take refuge in my record collection, especially when my collection has this gem of an album by Eric Patrick Clapton.

I’m sure by now most music fans are familiar with the guitar genius of Eric Clapton, via his unsurpassed talents with bands The Yardbirds, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Cream. However, “Slowhand” has been recording critically and commercially successful album as a solo artist for nearly four decades, and his first self-titled LP proved (and still proves) that Clapton is indeed, God. Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in the south, especially Texas right now, you know how brutal Summer has been this year, probably one of the hottest in recent memory. Extreme drought, rolling blackouts, wild fires and dying vegetation and cattle seem to be making things quite miserable for everyone affected. From the looks of it, there is no relief in sight anytime soon. However, with that said there is no reason you still can’t enjoy the remainder of the summer. There are plenty of days left to hang out by the pool, sip on an ice cold glass or two of lemonade (or beer, if you prefer) and listen to some of the best songs ever recorded for those lazy Summer days. Read the rest of this entry »

When one starts talking about the British Invasion, one of two things come to mind: 1) The American Revolution and 2) The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who and every other hit rock n’ roll band that came to America from the ‘other side of the pond’ in the 1960s. However, little do people realize that Alvin Lee and his band Ten Years After also hails as part of the musical British Invasion.

Now, I will admit that my knowledge of Ten Years After was quite limited, mostly limited to their one live performance of “I’m Going Home” from the “Woodstock” documentary in 1970, a performance I liked initially, but became bored with after subsequent viewings. But, suffice to say I’m happy to have acquainted myself with more of their catalog over the last couple of years, and my opinion has drastically changed for the better. Read the rest of this entry »

The summer months are quickly approaching the horizon like the fury of black iron and steel. Soon, it’ll be hotter outside than hell and the all of the coal that powers the engines on the Santa Fe line.

Summer is that time of year where most people, like myself, are desperately wanting to travel and be mobile for a little while. We want to escape the confines of office deadlines and see the world from the vantage point of a moving car or fast aero plane. For the folks of Johnny Cash’s time, they may still dream of seeing things from the opening of a big box car, traveling East and West on the Rock Island Line or the Union Pacific Railroad. Sadly, for most of us that era of American life has whizzed on by, but the songs collected on “All Aboard The Blue Train” sure does the job of getting us to a time in our minds where we wish to ride the open rails. Read the rest of this entry »

Someone recently told me a good rule about country music is that ‘if you can twang it, you can sang it.’ I had to laugh at the notion, but when it comes to classic country music I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.

Two of country’s most prominent icons, Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn, teamed up to unload “Mr. And Mrs. Used To Be” on the masses, a collection of songs about woe, heartache and joy between two people who could honesty love and/or hate each other with a smile upon their faces. However, these two respected crooners of country love keep it classy and conservative, as they trade line for line. Tubb’s authoritative vocal presence, coupled with Lynn’s Appalachian twang work well together in their duets, delivering the kind of country duet LP you’d expect to know and love. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s face it. Everyone loves Ringo, the fun-lovin’ drummer from the world’s greatest rock n’ roll band, The Beatles. Admit it. You’ve got all the records with Ringo’s head circled in red like some crazed lunatic, hoping to snip a little piece of hair from his mop top if he ever crossed your path (hey, it’s happened to him before!) But, did you know Ringo made some incredible solo albums on his own?

“Old Wave”, Ringo Starr’s ninth studio album to be exact, is one of the most over-looked and underrated albums of his career. Starr enjoyed much commercial success with his post-Beatles albums, such as the self-titled “Ringo” and follow-up “Goodnight Vienna”, featuring a who’s who of rock royalty pitching in on playing and recording. However, by the time Starr recorded “Old Wave”, the scene and atmosphere of Starr’s personal life was a different story. Read the rest of this entry »

Outside of hardcore blues fans Big Mama Thornton is probably one of the more obscure of the blues singers, as her career began in 1951, but started to fade quickly in the late 1950s/early 1960s. However, Thornton recorded with some of the most notable blues musicians of her day, many now legendary, like Buddy Guy, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters and Big Walter Horton. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s no mistaking the fact James Brown is indeed the ‘Godfather of Soul’, the baddest mofo to ever ‘funk up’ the airwaves backed with one of the greatest rhythm and horn sections, ever.

Brown originally recorded this Lowman Pauling tune in 1960 with his band The Famous Flames, after the original version by The “5” Royales, however the version featured here is 5th version Brown and his band would record and release as a single. This version of “Think” is typical funky ‘make me sweat’ James Brown, which punches your ear gut with a blast of horns and bass from the get-go. The ditty charges the listener to reminisce and ‘think’ about the good times and bad, and what’s about happening on the streets. Clocking in at just over three minutes, this early 1970s recording still sounds as brilliant and relevant as ever, and holds its own as an authentic stand-alone version from the previous efforts. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the song Joel and Ethan Coen made beyond famous in their 1998 cult film hit “The Big Lebowski”, all with the thanks to musician and producer T-Bone Burnett for plucking this gem out of near obscurity, and the absolute one song that has been on my ‘I-must-own-this-record-if-it’s-the-last-thing-I-ever-do’ list. It’s also the one song in the history of music that gives some shred of coolness and dignity to Kenny Rogers, despite the many terrible country cross-over songs we’ve been subjected to all these many years. “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” is the epitome of awesome regardless of where it’s been or who has sung it.

It’s been long disputed who is the actually ‘King of the Blues’, even more so when it comes to Chicago Blues. I like the blues no matter where it comes from, rich or poor, black or white, but no matter who ends up taking the crown Muddy Waters will always hold one of the top spots in my record collection.

There’s been some major staples in Muddy Waters’ catalog over the decades, like “Electric Mud” and “Folk Singer”, but this lesser-known jewel called “Unk” In Funk is another classic that deserves proper recognition.

The other day I sat in a used book and record store with a friend of mine, and we sifted through stacks and stacks of used 7″ singles, curious to see what sort of gems we could walk away with. After spending what seemed like several hours looking through all of the records, like grubstakers panning for gold, I found this beautiful Ella Fitzgerald single with a Verve Records label, a label synonymous for producing incredible blues and jazz records. I didn’t even pay attention to the songs on the record, I just instinctively knew this record had to come home with me. Thankfully, I managed to find a few other Fitzgerald singles on this trip, which they too, found a new home.

Napkinart here…for those who don’t know I write about vintage vinyl on my other blog “Classic Waxxx” for the kiddos who are new to the whole ‘vinyl thing’ and need some guidance. We (the editorial ‘we’) got a chance to get our hands on some awesome exclusive Record Store Day swag this year, which you can read about here. From Eric Clapton to The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground to The Doors, there were some great releases to be had and some great releases you’d kill your grandmother for. Thanks to Chris and crew at Good Records for another stellar RSD celebration!

Each Friday, fellow writer and artist Jonathon Kimbrell will be diving into the deep dark stacks of music and pulling out a record that has been lost through the ages of time and giving you all the information and a detailed review of each record.

Here is the BRAND SPANKING NEW debut of the newest podcast under the MULTI-MEDIA MEN banner called ‘The Unbalanced Note‘, where the show is related to all things MUSIC! Here on this new show, musician Jacob Douglas and I talk about everything we love or dislike about music, musicians, and the music industry. However, in this 8th episode, Jacob has gone on safari and we have a very special guest host and Boomstick Comics regular Jonathon Kimbrell joining the show from Classic Waxxx Records.

We have a very fun 79th episode of our fun podcast under the MULTI-MEDIA MEN banner called ‘Media-Ocrity‘, where the show is just – okay. Here on the show, we focus strictly on horror/sci-fi, comic books, and video games – basically all the fun stuff that tickles your fancy. In our 79th episode, titled ‘Top Score on Pole Position‘, we discuss the upcoming ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom‘ film, Vin Diesel in xXx 4, how The Rock almost quit ‘Rampage‘, ‘Stranger Things‘ Season 3 news, and the Netflix remake of ‘Lost in Space‘. We also dive into the best video game achievements ever, as well as powerful one-liners from films that made us emotional. It was so much fun. This episode is guaranteed to thrill you, chill you, and fulfill you. I am joined pop-culture wizard Jonathan Atterbury and comic book artist Jeremy Megert.

The #1 action film in the world, ‘The Fate of the Furious‘, goes full-throttle on Digital HD on June 27, 2017, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on July 11, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The latest exhilarating installment of the nitro-fueled blockbuster action franchise features a gripping new storyline, the most outrageous collection of vehicles yet, and an all-star cast of fan favorites and series newcomers. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, the close-knit crew criss-crosses the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing world chaos — and to bring home the man who made them a family. With more than an hour of never-before-seen bonus features and an Extended Director’s Cut, ‘The Fate of the Furious‘ will be the crowning glory of every fan’s collection.

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are the guys mostly known for bringing spoof movies to theaters. They are responsible for the ‘Scary Movie‘ franchise, ‘Epic Movie‘, and ‘Vampires Suck’ to name a few. It was only a matter of time before they got their hands on the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. It’s just so unfortunate that Mel Brooks wasn’t the first on this front to do another ‘Spaceballs‘, which is what we all really want. Well, Friedberg and Seltzer are set to start filming their ‘Star Wars‘ spoof this Fall, titles ‘Star Worlds Episode XXXIVE=MC2: The Force Awakens The Last Jedi Who Went Rogue‘.

‘The Bronze‘ comes from the witty brain of co-creator and star, ‘Big Bang Theory‘ actress, Melissa Rauch. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment delivers the funny and some mind-bending gymnastics to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on August 2. An excellent way to get pumped up for the Rio Summer Olympics on August 5.

Hey everyone! So it may have started as a PG­13 movie between us here at Get on the Stick and you, the beautiful reader… but since this is our fourth encounter, it’s time to seal the deal and turn this flick into a XXX extravaganza! Much like A New Hope, this episode 4 is going to be a fan favorite, and as always, will be spoiler free. Finish polishing those lightsabers, pop the corn, dim the lights, and let’s ‘watch Netflix’. The term “Get on the Stick” is all about getting to work, so no more blather… Let’s get to it!Read the rest of this entry »

THE FILM

Another year, another ‘Rocky‘ movie. Some of you might be saying, “When is enough, enough?” More times than not, you might be right with any string of sequels that goes back the third installment, particularly with the ‘Rocky‘ franchise. Sure, the first ‘Rocky‘ film from 1976 was spectacular, and arguably one of the better movies ever made. It even won a ton of Oscars that year, including Best Picture. ‘Rocky II‘ came shortly after, which was still excellent, but starting with ‘Rocky III‘, things got silly and the films lost some focus. Still, audiences world wide packed theater houses to see the Italian Stallion (Sylvester Stallone) underdog his way up to the top, never quitting and giving his best. It’s a great message.

We are officially on the road to Wrestlemania 32. To kick off Wrestlemania Season, we will be rolling out a series of top-ten Wrestlemania moments over the next few weeks. As this is our first week, it’s only fitting that we begin with the top ten opening matches in Wrestlemania history.

Quick disclaimer: I won’t be ranking any of the Money in the Bank ladder matches here, as those constitute a separate list.

I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by. 2015 was an interesting year to say the least, most of which was great. Movie-wise, I think 2015 had some excellent films filling its theaters, but of course it had some real stinkers too. Below is my list of the Best and Worst films of 2015. I believe this year I watched over 175 new films, theatrically speaking and it was very difficult to narrow them down from 25. After some strawberry cake covered in Lucky Charms, I finally had a TOP 15, however, these films are in no particular order this year. But when you talk about the Best movies, you have to mention the worst too. My list tends to be a tad bit different from others, but hey, I’m twisted. I highly encourage you to seek out these movies – good or bad and enjoy the rest of your year.

Alright, alright, alright kids Sony Pictures and Media Rights Capital are making some big movement in the dark world of Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower‘ and these are the moves we want! First off, nothing is set in stone or contracted, yet, but there’s a good likelihood this will come to happen.

Another year, another ‘Rocky‘ movie. Some of you might be saying, “When is enough, enough?” More times than not, you might be right with any string of sequels that goes back the third installment, particularly with the ‘Rocky‘ franchise. Sure, the first ‘Rocky‘ film from 1976 was spectacular, and arguably one of the better movies ever made. It even won a ton of Oscars that year, including Best Picture. ‘Rocky II‘ came shortly after, which was still excellent, but starting with ‘Rocky III‘, things got silly and the films lost some focus. Still, audiences world wide packed theater houses to see the Italian Stallion (Sylvester Stallone) underdog his way up to the top, never quitting and giving his best. It’s a great message.

What do we know about Vin Diesel? We know he’s an avid ‘Dungeons and Dragons‘ player of over 24 years, he might have been ‘Daredevil‘ had he accepted before it was passed on to Ben Affleck, once upon a time he even did a promotional video on….how to break dance! We also know a bit more about the actor now that he’s announced ‘Riddick 4′ in addition to a spinoff turned TV series!

Ronda Rousey isn’t content with only kicking ass on the mat as one of the most enigmatic UFC fighters ever to take center stage, she’s been branching out into film beginning with a small cameo appearance in ‘The Expendables 3‘ and ‘Furious 7‘. Rowdy Ronda is taking over the lead in one of the most anticipated re-makes MGM has in their stable right now, ‘Road House‘.

Learning to Drive opens at the completion of driving instruction with Darwan Singh Tur (Sir Ben Kingsley) speaking words of wisdom and reality to his student driver.Next we are guided through a typical day of a hardworking Indian in America.Two jobs and a house full of relatives/friends from his village, Darwan is a stereotype of who Indians are.I do not like stereotypes whether factual or not.People are curvy (multi-faceted) and should not be pressed into any particular box/label.However, in Learning to Drive, I see the Indian stereotype treated with honor and maybe even understanding.I do not follow the Sikh religion nor do I understand it, but the worship was portrayed with reverence.

The latest Hollywood remake to hit theaters is the hit tv show from the mid-60’s ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.‘, which lasted four seasons and was partially developed by Ian Fleming just as the James Bond franchise was taking off. If you were alive during the mid-60s, you would have known that this ‘U.N.C.L.E.‘ television series was one of the best things on tv at the time, as it centered on an American spy and a Russian spy, working together to take out the bad guys in a very 007 kind of way.

After having been absent from film and TV lately, Sarah Jessica Parker is planning her comeback and her old stomping grounds of HBO is going to set the stage for her to do so. SJP is executive producing and starring in the comedy ‘Divorce‘.

What an interesting year in film.There were some really good films and REALLY bad ones.Some are bad because of my disappointment in the execution of potential brilliance.Others are good because they brought an amazing story in a skillful manner that is worthy of memory.I can only speak to the films that I was either blessed or, in some cases, cursed to screen, 23 in all (plus one cool dance performance).Feedback is encouraged whether you agree, disagree, think I’m nuts (I am a little crazy), or if you think a film I reviewed should have been included.Here are my Top 10 Best Films and Top 5 Worst Films of 2014….

One of the hottest films of the summer is sure to be one of the most asked for Blu-ray’s this Christmas! ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ takes us into new corners of the Marvel Universe with bold space adventurer Peter Quill steals an extremely rare and valuable orb that becomes the focus of a dogged bounty hunt. In order to run from his enemies, Quill forges an unlikely and uneasy truce with Rocket, a gun-crazy raccoon; Groot, a tree-like strongman with low verbal skills, a deadly assassin named Gamora and Drax who is focused mainly on revenge. Once the true power of the orb is discovered, the unlikely band of heroes comes together in a final battle that will decide the fate of the whole galaxy.

‘McFarland USA‘ is Disney’s newest offering to the category of sports biopic.Kevin Costner and Maria Bello lead the film, which is inspired by the 1987 true story of high school runners from McFarland, California. The students give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White, a newcomer to the mostly Latino high school. As every championship story shows, the kids end up bonding with the new coach, building up their team and creating a legacy.

When Tim Burton makes a new movie, it gets attention. Be it good, bad or ugly, people talk about it. The newest film to add to the cannon of Burton films is ‘Big Eyes‘. His latest live action film since 2012’s ‘Dark Shadows‘. A drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her extravagant success in the 1950’s and the following legal problems she had with her husband. Why did she have legal problems with her husband, you ask? He claimed credit for her paintings in the 1960’s. Talk about a maladjusted marriage! Makes Ike and Tina Turner look like a model of marriage perfection.

Whatever I thought this movie was about, whatever stereotype I had in my head about male strip club dancers, whatever I thought went on at Dallas’s most infamous Male strip club……I was wrong. Dead wrong.

I was among a select audience with the privilege of screening a new film by Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike, True Blood) titled “La Bare”. I had seen Joe promoting the movie on various talk shows for the past few weeks, and was interested in the film already since it is about our hometown landmark, La Bare. I would like to preface this review with the fact that I have never been to La bare, but it does come with quite the reputation. As a burlesque dancer living in Dallas for the past 7 years, inner circles of cheeky entertainment often intertwine. I had heard tell of a fantastic strip club on the other side of town, with legendary male dancers sure to make any lady’s heart swoon. I had even met a few of the dancers in passing, and if they were any indicator of the men created in the image of the Golden Ratio dancing at La Bare, that is the one building in Dallas most likely to be filled with Greek God-like men.

Seth MacFarlane is back with his second directorial effort with ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West‘. His first film, ‘Ted‘, which was a huge box office success, netting in almost $600 million from a budget of only $50 million, pretty much guaranteed that he would get to make any movie he wanted to in the future. MacFarlane is most known for creating and providing many of the voices for the cartoon shows such as ‘Family Guy‘, ‘The Cleveland Show‘, and ‘American Dad‘. All of which are family oriented shows. But with ‘Ted‘, he took it a couple of steps further and made a solid ‘R’ rated movie with tons of laughs and a decent story.

“You know what Jack Burton always says. It’s all in the reflexes.” But in this case, it’s all in the comic books. That’s right, ‘Big Trouble in Little China‘ is coming to comic book form starting June 4th from Boom! Studios. The John Carpenter film from 1986 starred Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a hilarious truck driver who helps his friend Wang rescue his girlfriend from the evil supernatural Lopan and his monster and demon minions. I’m so happy that we get more ‘Big Trouble in Little China‘ now almost thirty years later.

One of the more popular wrestlers in the WWE in the past few years, CM Punk, has allegedly walked out on the organization. This may not have surprised WWE fans, as over the last few weeks, there has been speculation that Punk won’t renew his contract with the company, which is up very soon.

Well folks, it was quite a year at the cinema. After totaling everything up, I was lucky enough to watch 35 films in theaters. There’s some great films that I missed, and some that I avoided like the plague, but out of those that I did catch, here’s the best of 2013.

Have movie makers gone SO dry of original ideas that they continue to re-make perfectly good movies that aren’t even that old, yet? I take these re-makes personally since most of them are from the 80’s, which means I grew up on the films they destroy with a re-birth. Was Patrick Swayze really one of those actors that was so horrible, none of his work is safe from a re-make? Let us keep in mind that Swayze is now a verb, not just a noun. It takes an epic actor to make that kind of difference. Not only did they have to annihilate the Red Dawn I grew up with, there are still projects in the works that will destroy Dirty Dancing, Point Break and Ghost! I can add to that list of Swayze comfort movies that seem destined for destruction, Road House. It’s the sad truth.

Neil Young continues his “Archive Performance Series” with the third installment, “Live At The Cellar Door,” recorded during Young’s six night stand at the famed Cellar Door in Washington, D.C., between November 30th and December 2nd, 1970, releasing on December 10, 2013. Read the rest of this entry »

The vinyl revolution thrives as vinyl sales continue to soar with the help of new album releases, Record Store Day exclusives, and of course, reissues of hard-to-find originals. The Black Crowes answer the reissue call and ready several of their now-classic albums for vinyl re-release. Read the rest of this entry »

In late September, Third Man Records announced a sweet, hugely ambition project, ‘The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records: 1917-1937’, chronicling a Wisconsin-based furniture company that produced some of the world’s most important records in the history of music. Third Man’s website titillated fans with a handful of awesome production photos of the set, but neglected to mention a price tag. That is, until now.

The third film in the Cornetto ice cream trilogy by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost called ‘The World’s End‘ is as much fun and more action packed than their previous films ‘Shaun of The Dead‘ and ‘Hot Fuzz‘. This beer guzzling buddy movie garners gut busting laughs from start to finish and features impressive fight choreography, amazing one-liners, and one hell of a group performance by the actors. The B-movie homages and mid-life crises themes are done flawlessly with the highest of entertainment value that will make you want to watch this over and over again. I expect strong box office returns with this British extravaganza.

‘Hotel Transylvania’ is a huge spectacle on the eyes. With giant colorful monsters, swooping camera pans at every scene, and a somewhat decent voice cast, you’d think ‘Hotel Transylvania’ would be the perfect movie for all ages this Halloween. However, ‘Hotel Transylvania’ relies more on the visual aspect with keeping little kids entertained to the fullest every second, that the story and characters get left buried underground. With the other animated monster and zombie films that are out right now, this one ranks low on the list.

You know the covers. You’ve seen them millions of times, and they continue to captivate upon every gaze. But what is behind those marvelous covers, encased in voluptuous black wax? Admittedly, we hang our heads in shame for saying this, but there are several albums from the past few decades we’ve seen on record store shelves and in ‘top ten’ lists year after year, but have yet to experience for ourselves. More precisely, we’ve never listened to these records in any shape or form. Read the rest of this entry »

I love old 50’s sci-fi movies. I always have and I always will. There’s just something that brings me back to the 80’s growing up watching old sci-fi movies with my dad that makes everything in life seem better. ‘Gog’, a 1954 sci-fi film was recently released by MGM on DVD and it was a blast. I really enjoyed the film for what it was and it brought back a bit of that nostalgic feeling from my younger days.

According to Tom Six’s twitter, “‘Human Centipede 3’ will have a 500+ person pede. XXXXL American style!” And EW reports that the first two films villains will reprise their roles in the third film which is odd. Dieter Laser and Laurence R. Harvey, who played the crazy surgeon of the first film and the insane security guard of the second film, have both agreed to reprise their roles for the third film in the series. It’s odd, because the crazy surgeon character was killed, so I ask this question – Is this a prequel of sorts?

I don’t even know where to begin with ‘G-Force’. I just can’t fathom that anyone thought that a bunch of guinea pigs that can talk and are actually super spies would get greenlit and made into a film. Well that happened and kids love it. I just don’t see anyone over the age of six enjoying this film, unless you have some sort of bizarre fetish and love for guinea pigs. Other than the film itself being a complete disaster on all levels, the video and audio are pretty decent. Especially the video presentation. Talking rodents who are spies. What’ll they think of next?

Well here it is. The George Harrison documentary made by Martin Scorsese. This beautiful documentary is called ‘George Harrison: Living in the Material World’. Harrison was a musical genius, a great human being, and a BEATLE. I can’t wait to see this movie. Time to listen to some George Harrison on vinyl. I smell a Classic Waxxx post soon. Enjoy the trailer below. Thanks to Yahoo.

July 28, 2011 – Los Angeles – CJ E&M Pictures and Grapevine Entertainment have attached Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious) to direct 1950, the largest budgeted project ever undertaken by the Korean film industry, at $100m. Production is expected to begin in May 2012 with a planned release date of spring 2013. An untold story of courage and endurance during the Korean War, 1950 is an epic adventure, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning dispatches from the front line by legendary New York Herald Tribune correspondent Marguerite Higgins.

Here is a new film coming out July 29th called “Devil’s Double” which looks exactly like “Scarface” (the Al Pacino version) in the desert. Below we have the poster and the trailer. The film is directed by Lee Tamahori (Next, Die Another Day, XxX pART 2) and stars Dominic Cooper (The Duchess, An Education).

I never really thought much about joining music fan clubs the many years I’ve been collecting music, but I recently joined Jack White’s “Third Man Records Vault” fan club service a few months back, perhaps out of sheer jealously about the rare goodies I was missing out on. Thankfully, I wised up in plenty of time to be introduced to The Greenhornes.

The latest Vault subscription service package included some really sweet goodies, as have been the case since The Vault service launched a couple of years ago. Included is the 12″ gem from The Greenhornes, called “Boscobel Blues”, a collection of ‘proper demos for what would later become the “East Grand Blues” EP’ released in 2005. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a damn fine time to be a classic rock n’ roll fan this holiday season, what with all of the really cool box sets and deluxe editions coming out. Sure, I know what you are thinking. “Why in the f*ck should I have to buy these all over again?!?” You don’t, really, but where the record companies get you is the treasure trove of unreleased goodies that didn’t originally appear on the initial releases, like this Record Store Day ‘Black Friday’ exclusive release of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers single, featuring the unreleased tracks “Nowhere” and “Surrender”. Read the rest of this entry »

And here it is. The last of the Ultimate Top Films of the Decade List until the Final Top 10. So many great films are on this list. I guess the numbering got messed up somewhere down the line so this list starts with 31.5 instead of 30 and goes to #11. So after this list, I will reveal my Top Ten Films of the last decade. So you can check out the entire list now and you might be able to guess what would be on my Top 10. Please feel free to comment and let me know your guesses. As usual, you will get the title of the film, the release date, a mini review and synopsis by yours truly, and a link to purchase the movie over at amazon for a good price.

The biggest shopping day is upon us and the holiday shopping spree season has already begun. I am kinda disappointed in this lack of releases this week. I figured the studios would be pushing their biggest titles this week because it is the largest shopping weekend and weekend of the year. But they just sort of half-assed it. Maybe because of all the incredible sales on past releases that have started and will continue on through Monday. Oh well. As usual, you will get some info about the disc and the extras that come with the movie as well as a personal opinion about the movie and a link to purchase the film over at AMAZON where you can save quite a bit of money, and it will give a small percentage kick back to this site so we can continue bringing you excellent stories and sales.

I currently find myself in a difficult situation, now that “Mad Men” Season 4 has recently concluded, which leaves me and my other dedicated and faithful followers ravenous for more swingin’ Don Draper action. Options to alleviate this dilema include A) re-watching ‘Mad Men’ Seasons 1-3 all over again obsessively until the start of Season 5, or B) listen to some swingin’ 60s records in hopes it’ll pass the time. With thanks to my grandparent’s hidden treasure trove of bitchin’ 60s vinyl I think I’ll be able to get my Don Draper-like fix for the next few months.